Fortune is merry,

And in this mood

Will give us everything.

— Shakespeare

Moods are so important in our lives, and yet, many people often do not take them all that seriously, unless they’re involved with someone who has a vast spectrum of moods that impact directly on them. Only then will you hear, “Oh, she’s so moody, I never know what to expect from her,” or

“That man has more moods than nature, spring, summer, autumn, winter.”

Yes, moods do influence us and also affect people who are in our space, whether it be at the workplace, school, or home, especially home.

“I better make sure that I catch her in the right mood tonight, or me nah get nutten.”

See what that quote said about fortune? Well, it applies to people too, for whenever someone is merry, in a good mood, they are more willing to give generously. Don’t ever ask a man who’s in a bad mood to lend you money. But catch him when his favourite team won and see how quickly he’ll fork over his cash.

“Here, hold this, pay me back when yu ready.”

Yes siree, moods are very important to our existence in our social plane, as we’ll find out right after these responses to ‘Long distance lovers’.

Hi Tony,

I am lucky that I was never tested in a long-distance relationship. The most that I have ever been apart from a lover is a week or two, and even then, to borrow the phrase, absence made the heart grow fonder. There are relationships where there are no physical distances, yet it seems to the ‘lovers’ that they are in a long-distance relationship. There is little or no lovemaking, they rarely go out on a date and bicker constantly. It has been said that in human relationships, distance is not measured in miles, but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.

Wickham

Hello Teerob,

Long distance is truly a test of relationships, and while some may work, others tend to fade after a while. It’s natural, as one can sustain strong feelings for only so long, and after a while distance enters the picture. Many soldiers have gone on tours of duty, only to lose their women to other men back at home. Many women have been left all alone by men who went away and never returned. Yes, some may work, but many times one or both lovers had a fling or two to satisfy their emotional starvation.

Winsome

What’s a mood anyway? The definition says that it’s a temporary state of mind or feeling. For some strange reason though, moods are often only referred to in a negative sense, such as, “He was really in an angry, sullen, irritable mood.”

But there are good moods too — happy, joyful moods — but somehow they aren’t referred to as moods, but feelings or personality traits. Take me, for example, I’m known to be always ‘up’ as the saying goes, and never in a bad mood, at least on the outside.

“Lord, Teerob, nutten nuh bother you eh?’

The drawback to that is, as soon as there’s any slight shift in your countenance it’s noticeable by others.

“Whap’n to you today, something wrong?”

People who display a variety of moods though, are usually taken at face value and approached based on the mood that they’re in.

“Before you ask the boss for a raise, make sure that he’s in a good mood.”

So, moods are extremely important and not to be taken for granted. One thing is sure though, people who are prone to be moody rarely have close friends, as their moods are just too tedious for people to tolerate.

“I just stay far from her, because I can never tell what mood she going to be in.”

Now, when it comes to dealing with women, that’s when it takes the skill and wisdom of a philosopher, soothsayer, sage, to decipher and deal with their many moods. For this reason many songs have been written about the ever changing moods of women. Mixed up moods and attitudes by The Fantastic Four was one such song.

‘ I’ve been loving you from a distance

Only a fool in love would understand

For the greatest joy in life

Is for me to get next to you

‘Cause I know one day you’ll make me a happy man

But your mixed up moods and attitudes

I can’t use them.’

As you can see, men have had to deal with the mixed up moods and attitudes of women for centuries. To date, I have not heard any woman complain about the moods of her man, but Lord, oh Lord, the men constantly whine about this aspect of their women’s life ad nauseam.

“She will go to bed feeling okay, but wake up next morning in the worst mood possible.”

I tell them that maybe she had a bad dream about them and took her feelings into reality when she woke up.

Usually, a woman’s mood is determined by her ability to keep the house clean. If the house is spic and span, her mood will reflect that. But the sight of dirty dishes in the sink will turn her great mood into that of a snarling wolverine.

“When she’s in the kitchen, stay out of her way, for that’s when the bad mood comes out.”

One important mood though, is the romantic one, for just as the kitchen is the woman’s comfort zone, the bedroom is the man’s field of dreams.

Men are hardwired to have sex anytime, anywhere, morning, noon or night. For some women though, they have to be in the mood. Maybe it’s a product of nature, for female animals aren’t usually receptive to sex any and any time. They have to be in oestrus, in heat, as the layman says, and only then can the male approach her. Any other time and she’ll fight him off.

I’ve seen on National Geographic where lionesses will fight off males who make approaches, yet when she’s in the mood, she’s most receptive. Do women experience oestrus too, do they have to be in the mood to have sex?

Well, based on my research, most do, unless they plan to catch and hold the man by giving him lots of sex. Even from Shakespeare’s days that was so, for the maidens did say:

“Come, woo me, woo me, for now I am in a holiday humour and like enough to consent.”

In other words, come get it now, make your move now, for I’m in a good mood and will let off. You have to catch her in the right mood and you’re on your way through the portals of pleasure. And yet, so many men still don’t get it, and will burst through the door, approach his woman and say:

“Honey, you ready for me?”

“Yu must be out of your mind, I’m not in the mood.”

No wonder the age old excuse and phrase for women who deny their men sex is, “I’m not in the mood.” But it’s when the moods change like the swirling winds that there’s a challenge, a shift, a movement. That’s why they call them mood swings.

“I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad, or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.” So said Sylvia Plath.

“She was a free bird one minute, queen of the world and laughing, the next minute she would be in tears like a porcelain angel, about to teeter, fall and break,” said Roman Payne.

Like I said, this thing about moods and mood swings is usually attributed to women. Men have no such luxury, and a man of many moods is usually viewed as an aberration.

“Is how him suh moody like him is woman?”

Most men have basically one mood, and women know what that this.

“Why you looking at me and smiling like that, is something you looking?”

Satisfy a man sexually and his mood will always be a good one. But men who are deprived of sex will often sink into a low mood, even bordering on depression. That’s one of the few times when a man will get moody, except when his team loses a match. That has been known to send some men into a deep depression.

Moods have such an impact on people, sometimes even driving others to anger. There’s this song Mood, by 24Goldn

‘ Why you always in a mood?

F…..g round, acting brand new

I ain’t trying tell you what to do

But try to play it cool

Baby I ain’t playing by your rules

Why you always in a mood?‘

Moods can be so impactful.

More time.

seido1yard@gmail.com

Footnote: Well, we got our second dose of the vaccine at the National Arena and just like the first time, this experience was a very pleasant and seamless one. The staffers were extremely efficient, pleasant, professional and cordial. Hats off to them and the organisers.

What’s up with the National Water Commission? For almost a month now people in the New Kingston area have been experiencing low water pressure or no water at all during the days, yet water returns late at night, only to go again in the early morning. Are these scheduled disruptions or happenstance? As far as I know there is no drought at this time.

Go Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, truly the fastest woman ever in the world, legally and officially at 10.63 over the 100 metres.